Who's Qui-Gon
by Hyperteenager24
Summary: When a new Sith Lord steps out of the shadows, Obi-Wan is faced with a difficult decision.
1. Chapter 1

Sunrise over the Garden of One Thousand Fountains was one of the most beautiful sights on Coruscant.

No matter how the war tore through the galaxy, this was the one place that didn't change.

It was one of Obi-Wan's favourite times of the day, in one of the most peaceful places he'd ever been. The sun reflecting off the dew that collected on the leaves and the water in the fountains, filling the gardens with multi-coloured lights of red, purple and orange.

He took a deep breath as he started on the next set of katas, a training saber humming softly through the air. On the days when he was back at the Temple, he'd spend at least two hours here, going through the katas in order to clear his mind.

Halfway through his usual work-out, he heard someone clearing his throat to the left of him.

Slowly coming to a stop, Obi-Wan turned, a soft smile on his face as he spotted Master Yoda standing there.

"Improved you have." Master Yoda, "Still leaning though, to the right you are."

"Ah, my one weakness." Obi-Wan chuckled.

"Expect to see you today, I did not."

A tense silence fell over them as they both thought about the date…. Almost ten years ago, Obi-Wan's old master faced the Sith Lord, Darth Maul, only to be never seen again. The only trace left of him, was the large pool of blood that Obi-Wan found when he caught up to the fight and the shattering of the bond.

"Every so often, I wake up expecting him to be there…" Obi-Wan sighed, "… sitting at the table, drinking that green muck he called tea, scolding me for not getting up at the crack of dawn."

Yoda nodded as Obi-Wan continued, "I haven't had thoughts like that since he first… passed into the Force."

"Miss him too, I do."

The pair stayed there for a few minutes, gazing out onto the horizon, lost in their own memories. Suddenly the sound of footsteps approaching startled them out of their thoughts.

"My apologies Masters…." Anakin nervously cleared his throat, "… but the senate have given us a mission Obi-Wan. It looks like a clone squadron is trapped on a sinking sink in the south seas. No explicit details, but it's definitely a clone signal…. And it's possibly a hostage situation."

Obi-Wan frowned, "A hostage situation… sounds like a trap."

"A trap?"

"Either an entire clone squadron is actually being held hostage… or they've already been killed and the Separatists are sending that transmission to see if they can trap and kill more."

Anakin nodded in understanding, "It is true that we haven't been able to get in contact with any of the clones but- "

"- So, it looks as though we may have two missions to run. Save the ship and rescue any possible hostages." Obi-Wan decided, the serene Jedi Master disappearing behind the mask of the General.

…..

"We've managed to hack into the ship's frequency in order to gain a bit more information…" Anakin report as they prepared to board the ship, "… no ransom demands have been made and I can confirm that the majority of the clones that were on the ship, are alive. The Separatist droids are being led by a… Klattenhoff."

Obi-Wan nodded in recognition, "I've heard of him. Quite a high ranker in the Separatist movement. Do we know how many Separatists there are, or how many clones?"

Bringing up a holographic report, Ashoka frowned, "Hmmm, record state that there was about fifty people on the ship before the Separatists boarded. There are about five or six different voices that are probably the Separatists and transmissions suggest that they…" She paused, "… Shot forty of the clones before keeping the remaining ten as hostages."

Anakin frowned, "Forty? Was it a new shipment or something? Full of, what do they call them, shinies?"

Ashoka just nodded silently, confirming her Master's suspicions.

"So, it is this attack random? Or planned?"

Obi-Wan shook his head at Anakin's question, "At the moment, there's no way to tell… but according to the logs, there are three commanders on board. That's a lot of power and influence that the Separatists have under their control."

They all were wondering the same thing. If it was a transport ship for new clones, then why were there so many commanders?"

As Anakin moved over to the back of the ship, in order to prepare for a covert operation, as Ashoka turned to Obi-Wan, a sly grin on her face.

"So, rumour is that you and Commander Cody have been seeing more of each other recently?"

Obi-Wan resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "I distinctly remember there being less gossip when I was a padawan."

It was a lie, but Ashoka didn't need to know that.

"Someone saw you and the Commander out one night- "

"- Ashoka." Anakin interrupted, "Much as I hate to interrupt, we need to go silent for the drop."

Hidden by large meteors, they landed their smaller ship on top of one of them, using oxygen masks to sneak over to the larger cargo ship, and laser tools to break in. Taking out the droids that were congregated in the hanger was simple enough, giving them a chance to re-group.

"You two rescue the hostages." Obi-Wan gently ordered, "I'll deal with Klattenhof."

"Understood Master."

….….

To be honest, Obi-Wan wasn't too happy with the situation. He preferred helping those in need, going to war-torn planets and solving things diplomatically. Sneaking into control rooms and deliberately picking fights wasn't in his nature…. Much.

"You Jedi… always sticking your nose in places where it doesn't belong!" Klattenhoff grunted as he fired again and again at Obi-Wan

"That should be our new motto. Anakin, what's the situation?" Obi-Wan easily deflected the bolts away

"Just finishing up Master…" came a voice from the communicator, "…I think this batch of bots is possibly the Separatists' worst yet."

"They just don't make them like they used to." Klattenhoff was forced to duck as Obi-Wan's next deflect came dangerously close to his head, "Does something seem off about this?"

"Me and Ashoka were just discussing that. Need any help?"

"No, I've got this. Get the ship ready to transport the hostages."

"Understood."

Obi-Wan then turned his attention back to Klattenhoff who was beginning to look a little frustrated. "Sorry, but you're going to have to try harder than that if you want to land a hit." Klattenhoff charged and Obi-Wan ducked underneath him, punching him in the stomach. The man grunted, collapsing to his knees, making it easier for Obi-Wan to knock him out.

"Anakin?" he spoke into his communicator, "Anakin, what's the situation?"

Silence.

"Anakin?"

"We have a problem." Obi-Wan spun around, frowning at the sight of Anakin standing behind him, "Looks like there was something bigger at stake here."

The younger man then held up a data chip, "I decided to retrieve some information."

"On whose orders?" Interrupted Obi-Wan, "What if something had gone wrong? I assume Ahsoka is doing your job?"

Anakin frowned, "Senator Palpatine asked me to do some digging earlier, and Ahsoka is taking care of everything! You worry too much."

"You can't do this, you can't just go performing secret missions! I need to know what's going on at all times or everything will fall apart."

Anakin nodded and was about to answer, when suddenly his eyes widened and Obi-Wan felt a blinding pain at the back of his head, sending him to the ground. Wincing he twisted around to see Klattenhoff disappearing around a corner. He felt Anakin gently press against the back of his head, "Okay…" he muttered, "…this one might be on me."

He helped Obi-Wan to his feet, who then tore his arm away and pressed a hand against his sore head, "You're kriffing right it is." He grunted, striding away.


	2. Chapter 2

"Master Kenobi? Master Kenobi, what's wrong?"

Obi-Wan winced in pain, hand pressed firmly against the lump at the back of his head, "Nothing. Where are the hostages?"

"Safe and secure… do you need Kix to look at that head wound?"

"No, thank you. I'll deal with it." Obi-Wan stormed into the ship, "I need to speak to Senator Palpatine, and soon."

….

"Why are you getting involved in Jedi missions?"

Senator Palpatine didn't even glance up from his paperwork at Obi-Wan's entrance, "General Kenobi, I wasn't expecting a visit from you today."

Silence.

The Senator sighed wearily, "I needed the information, and Anakin has always been very helpful in those regards."

"The Council and I need to be informed if someone has a side-mission. I could have brought along another Master/Padawan pair to help with the hostage situation."

"I don't need to tell the Council anything- "

"- I beg your pardon Senator, but you do. Especially when lives are on the line."

"That was why the Jedi were brought in. To ensure that that didn't happen."

"My only concern, is that if everyone is off doing their own thing, it becomes chaotic and people can get hurt, or people escape, like Klattenhoff!"

Senator Palpatine frowned at Obi-Wan before pushing himself to his feet and indicating that he should follow him. They walked into an elevator which then started to descend. "I assume you're not needed elsewhere?"

"… No."

Not that he seemed to have much of a choice.

The Senator seemed amused for some reason, "Are you aware that the crime rate all across the galaxy has gone up, by almost five percent. Now, it may not seem a lot but I can assure you, it's becoming a problem."

"War will do that… but I sincerely hope you're not suggesting that the Jedi become… some sort of police force? The Council will never go for it."

The doors of the elevator opened to reveal a large warehouse-like complex, men bustling around three large crafts which appeared to be heavily equipped with weaponry. The pair walked through the complex, Obi-Wan's eyes widening with every new sight.

"These are our response to the rising crime levels." Palpatine stated, "No need for the Order to get involved. You need no longer concern yourselves with getting involved in this war."

"… What are they?"

"Let's just call them… The Project. Three large ships that are synced to a series of satellites around the galaxy. The information sent to them via the satellites can spot a threat before they even have a chance to act. With the new weaponry on board these ships, we can act immediately and reduce the number of threats to make the galaxy safer."

Obi-Wan glanced around, "You know… my old Master used to say that the punishment should only come after the crime. It was one of his favourite phrases to use really. The punishment should fit the crime, not precede it."

"We can no longer afford to use that mindset." Palpatine's sounded almost scolding, "It has gotten to the point where, now that the Separatists are proving themselves to be a credible threat, we need better defences. The galaxy will be safer because of these!"

"Only because you're pointing a weapon at their heads and calling it freedom." Obi-Wan shook his head, "This isn't freedom, it's fear."

Before the Chancellor could reply, Obi-Wan bowed and made a tactful retreat.

He had better places to be.

…..

"I'm sorry I'm so late this week." Obi-Wan knelt in front of the array of flowers in the meditation gardens.

Flowers and plants that had once shared a room with him and his Master.

If they'd found a body, maybe it would be easier.

…

Master Yoda frowned as he and the rest of the Council were refused access to the information on the hard drive once again. They had tried everything, using the top access codes that they had been reassured, worked on all files.

When that failed, they tried decryption programs, only to get the same result.

"A meeting, we need." Yoda sighed, "With Senator Palpatine."

…

"I'm sorry." Palpatine's assistant sneered, "But he's in a meeting at the moment. May I take a message?"

"Wait, we can." Master Yoda chuckled, "Important, our conversation is."

"In fact, it's so important that it might be best if you pull him out of the meeting." Master WIndu stepped forwards

The assistant scowled. Before pressing his comms button, "Senator Palpatine, Master Yoda and Master Windu from the Jedi High Council are here to see you… they are rather persistent."

A little over two minutes later, Palpatine emerged from the room, "It seems I have become quite popular with the Jedi Council all of a sudden. How can I help you gentlemen?"

"Concerned, we are." Yoda began, "Secrets, there are."

"Secrets?" Palpatine almost looked surprised, as Mace took over.

"We believe it may be related to The Project, which is concerning to the Council." Mace raised an eyebrow, "If this is the case, then the last thing we want is for those crafts to be active."

Palpatine frowned, "And what makes you think that there are secrets? Or is this something to do with the Force?"

"You could say that." Windu sighed, "Let's just say that the rescue team found something… suspicious."

"What did they find?"

"Of no concern, it is. Investigating, we are."

Palpatine was silent for a few moments, before nodding. "Of course. I eagerly await further news."

…

"Obi-Wan! Obi-Wan!"

Obi-Wan sighed as he entered his old padawan's headquarters, to hear Ashoka.

"Hello Ashoka, how can I help you?"

Ashoka looked a little concerned at Obi-Wan's tone, "Master Skywalker sent me… are you alright?"

Obi-Wan sighed, "Anakin and I had… a slight disagreement. Nothing more."

Before Ashoka could say anything, Obi-Wan's holo-communicator started to beep, prompting him to answer. "Master Yoda? How can I help?"

"A situation, we have." Yoda stated, "At the temple, you should meet us."

"Understood."


End file.
